Far-right extremist arrested over suspected Olympics plot

Security forces at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. GETTY IMAGES

An 18-year-old suspected neo-Nazi has been arrested in France on suspicion he was preparing attacks during the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, which take place from 26 July until 11 August.

The far-right extremist was the administrator of a group named “French Aryan division” on the phone application Telegram. According to security sources, they noticed threats against the Paris Olympics, including death threats, hate speech, and other postings of a dangerous nature.

The young man reportedly also shared targeted personal information putting people at risk and discussed how to make a bomb with his followers. 

These Telegram followers are said to have spoken of mounting attacks during the games and threatened violence against a Paris-based drag queen who took part in the recent Olympic torch rally, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

The 18-year-old was consequently detained in the eastern Bas-Rhin region and is being questioned by anti-terror police in France. Security services in the Olympic Games French capital are on high alert as over 10,000 athletes and 10 million visitors are expected to descend on the city and its surroundings. 

This far-right case follows an arrest in May in which a Chechen teenager was taken into custody on suspicions of plotting an “Islamist-inspired” attack at an Olympics football match scheduled to be held in the southeastern city of Saint-Etienne.



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